We were sad when organizers were forced to cancel this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Like other international motor shows that were scrapped, the Festival of Speed attracts thousands of visitors every year, making it impossible for crowds to comply with social distancing restrictions. But while the public won't be allowed through the doors, the show will still go on. This week, the Festival of Speed will be replaced with a new event called Speedweek that will combine the best elements of the Festival Of Speed and the Goodwood Revival into a spectacular show hosted behind closed doors.

In a world-first, spectators will be able to experience the action from the comfort of their own home with full 360-degree video and audio streamed on Facebook.

Using the SpeedWeek hub accessed at Goodwood.com, fans will also be able to enjoy a virtual tour of the paddock, ask their favorite drivers questions on an online chatroom, and take part in quizzes, polls, competitions and a 'podium predictor'. When a road car features in the livestream, fans can press a button to add their favorite cars into a garage, find out additional information, and book a test drive.

Organizers claim Goodwood Speedweek will be the most ambitious event to ever take place at the Goodwood Motor Circuit. To make the digital event possible, more than 12 miles of high-speed fiber cabling have being laid and 49 high-definition cameras were installed, including 19 trackside cameras and 15 live on-boards. Covering the action will be a crew of 180 operators, ten presenters, and two TV studios.

Each day will celebrate the automotive industry's past, present, and future, culminating with a traditional one-lap shootout at the iconic Goodwood Hillclimb pitting some of "the fastest machines in motorsport across the years," including hypercars, single-seaters, and prototype sports cars.

There's a lot to look forward to, including a 'Technology Showcase' that demonstrates new automotive technology, an autonomous lap around the Goodwood Motor Circuit, an all-electric race between a Virgin Formula E, Electric Harley and Drone racer, a demonstration of a flying Gravity jet suit, and a Ford Mustang Mach-E 1400 Prototype, which generates 1,400 horsepower from seven electric motors, performing some tire-smoking drifts. To celebrate the 70th anniversary of F1, there will also be a grid walk of F1 cars showcasing how the technology has evolved.

We're also hoping there will be some new model debuts. There's a chance we could see the new Volkswagen Golf R as the new hot hatch was originally going to debut at the 2020 Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer before the event was canceled. The 2020 Goodwood Speedweek will run this week from 16-18 October. Will you be watching it?